


Nina......

by brinnanza



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Coming Out, Gen, Humor, Marinette Being Oblivious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-10
Updated: 2017-03-10
Packaged: 2018-10-01 22:47:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10202507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brinnanza/pseuds/brinnanza
Summary: Marinette’s eyes go even wider, staring at Alya like Alya has just lost her mind -- and Alya thinks she actually might have, because she knows Marinette isn’t good with subtlety, but this is on a whole other level.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Mizu for beta reading and curses to Mizu for tumblring me into another fandom. (Just kidding.) (Mostly.) And yes, I did write a whole fic entirely based on [this tumblr text post](http://brinnanza.tumblr.com/post/157165116281/localgaysian-localgaysian-so-anyway-one-of-my).

Marinette is ten minutes early for their first afternoon class. Considering the number of times she has skidded in ten minutes late, halfway through, or, Alya’s favorite, just as they’re all packing up their things to leave, it’s surely a record and also probably a portent of doom.

Sure enough, once Marinette has stowed her bag under her seat and neatly arranged her tablet on the tabletop, she turns to Alya, rests her chin in her hands, and bats her eyelashes in a way that is probably supposed to be innocent but mostly just looks ridiculous. (It’s a cute ridiculous. Marinette is adorable and Alya loves her, but she’s _completely_ ridiculous.)

There’s a predatory grin on Marinette’s mouth that she probably thinks she’s doing a good job of hiding, but Marinette might be the least subtle person Alya’s ever met, and yes, she’s including her sisters, both of whom are under the age of five. It doesn’t exactly take intrepid investigative reporting skills to figure out when Marinette is up to something, though Alya does, of course, possess such skills.

She’s feeling indulgent, so instead of pouncing, she waits for Marinette to come out with it. It’s barely seconds -- what Marinette lacks in subtlety, she absolutely does not make up for in patience.

“I overheard you talking to Nino earlier,” Marinette says, her eyes flicking down to the vacant seat in the next row. Her grin gets wider. “What happened this weekend, huh?”

It’s not exactly the scoop Alya had been anticipating, but if Marinette wants to take the circuitous route, Alya will play along. She shrugs. “We hung out for a few hours.”

The sneaky look abruptly drops off of Marinette’s face, and she grabs at Alya’s arm. “Ooh,” she squeals, leaning in a little. “Tell me all about it! I want to know everything.”

“What, about Nino?” Alya’s happy to share the details, banal though they may be, but she’s not sure homework and a movie really merit this kind of gushing. Unless it’s something to do with _Nino_. Marinette’s crush on Adrien is so all-encompassing that Alya hadn’t really thought her capable of the time or attention to dote on someone she can actually form words around, but Nino is actually sort of attainable, especially since he’d already confessed to having a crush on her once.

“Of course!” Marinette says, practically bouncing in her seat. “What did you do? What did you talk about? What was he like?” Marinette’s eyes are wide with anticipation, and Alya can almost see her holding back from asking if he mentioned her at all.

A fond smile tugs at Alya’s mouth. Marinette never does anything by halves. “We did homework, mostly. Sorry it’s not more interesting.”

Marinette’s nose wrinkles up skeptically, and she frowns. “Don’t hold out on me! I can’t even _talk_ to my crush; let me live vicariously through your love life.”

Hang on.

_Love life?_

Alya stares at her.

Marinette’s hopeful expression doesn’t change.

Alya stares at her some more.

Marinette blinks.

And Alya promptly bursts into giggles. Marinette’s eyes go even wider, staring at Alya like Alya has just lost her mind -- and Alya thinks she actually might have, because she knows Marinette isn’t good with subtlety, but this is on a whole other level. True, Alya had never actually told her with actual words, but she’s pretty sure the rest of the class (the rest of the grade probably) already knows. Alya hadn’t been subtle. Alya hadn’t been anywhere _near_ subtle.

“Oh, girl,” Alya manages to gasp between peals of laughter. There are actual tears in the corner of her eyes. 

Marinette’s brows are knit together in concern for Alya’s mental health, which just makes Alya laugh harder. People are probably starting to stare, but Alya can’t help it -- Marinette has missed some pretty glaringly obvious things in her life, but this is just -- well, it’s ridiculous, just like Marinette.

Alya sucks in a deep breath, trying to get a handle of herself so she can reassure Marinette that she hasn’t gone off the deep end (probably), but Marinette is just so wrong, and while Alya might resent it from someone else, from Marinette it’s just adorable. 

But no, Alya needs to calm down. Class is going to start soon and raucous laughter is more than enough of an excuse for Ms. Bustier to send her down to the principal’s office. Alya puts both palms on the tabletop and breathes in through her nose. Oh man, when Nino hears about this --

That almost sets her off again, but she reins it in at the last second. She nudges up her glasses so she can swipe the back of her hand across her eyes and then sets her hand on Marinette’s arm.

“Marinette,” Alya says, going for serious and missing it by a mile, “girl, I’m _gay_.”

Marinette’s expression freezes. There’s nothing hateful there, nothing disgusted (Alya hadn’t really expected there to be; Marinette is basically sunshine personified), but she is very, _very_ confused.

“You’re… what?”

Alya can hear Rose and Juleka giggling somewhere in the back of the room. She gives Marinette a wide smile and says, “I wasn’t on a date with Nino, Marinette. We’re just friends.”

“Friends,” Marinette repeats, bewilderment making her oddly laconic. “You’re -- _what_?”

Because Alya is a good friend and all-around wonderful human being, she gives Marinette a minute to work through it. She can see the moment it clicks on Marinette’s face. Her head jerks up sharply, and then she meets Alya’s eyes, her whole face lit up with understanding. She flings her arms around Alya and hauls her in for a hug, which Alya accepts, though a few more giggles slip out.

“Why didn’t you _tell me_?” Marinette demands once she pulls back. She seems to realize at once what she’s said and her hands fly to her mouth in embarrassment. “I mean -- not that you needed to! I’m just saying I would have understood -- that I do understand! And -- and -- and it’s fine, and cool, and I’m happy you told me, and I support you, but I just mean that you could have told me earlier and --”

Alya rolls her eyes affectionately. “Girl, chill,” she says, and Marinette’s mouth snaps closed, her cheeks faintly pink. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t think I had to. I mean it’s not like I hide it. You can’t seriously think there was anything heterosexual about the way I go on about Ladybug?”

Marinette’s eyebrows shoot into her hairline and she flushes even redder. “I just never thought about it!” she squeaks. She clears her throat and makes a visible effort to regain her normal pitch. “Lots of people like Ladybug -- or, you know, look up to her. I mean how many people read your Ladyblog, like half of Paris?”

“Something like that,” Alya says, amused. “You gonna be okay?”

Marinette ducks her head, still very pink. “Yes,” she says firmly, then lifts her chin to meet Alya’s eyes again. “Yes, of course. I’m sorry.” She offers Alya a sheepish grin.

“No worries,” Alya says, grinning back at her. She’s had much more disastrous coming outs all things considered, and at least this one will make a good story. Still, she can’t resist a bit of ribbing. “I can’t believe you looked at all this plaid and thought, ‘Yep, that’s a straight girl.’”

Marinette drops her arms onto the tabletop and buries her face in them. “I didn’t know!” she moans, her voice muffled. Alya pats Marinette’s back soothingly and decides she won’t hold it over Marinette. For long anyway.

“Didn’t know what?” Nino drops his bag onto his table with a heavy thud and sits, twisting around so he can look up at Alya and Marinette.

The kind thing would be to tell him later, out of Marinette’s earshot, to spare her the embarrassment of Nino’s reaction, but Alya can’t help herself. “Marinette thought you and I were on a date this weekend,” she says, waggling her eyebrows.

Nino laughs. “Dude, seriously?” He glances back and forth between the two of them and smacks a hand down on the tabletop. “That’s hilarious. Haven’t you heard the way she goes on about Ladybug?”

Marinette lets out a low moan. The tips of her ears are tomato red -- Alya didn’t think anything except Adrien could make her blush so hard. “Be careful,” Alya teases, and she swears this will be the last of it. (Probably.) “You’re almost as red as Ladybug.”


End file.
